Title
yesterday, you loved me, everyday, i love myself
Description
'yesterday, you loved me, everyday, I love myself,' is a collection of portraits captured over the course of one afternoon, featuring Ashleigh — a mixed British Caribbean woman born and bred in South West London, who self-identifies as a sex worker, an abuse survivor, as well as gay, working class, and autistic.
Whilst carrying an almost dream-like haze, the portraits shot in various areas of Ashleigh’s home — made in collaboration between photographer Jessica Gianelli and stylist Roberta Chapman — explore the presence of pleasure and intimacy within the idiosyncrasies of self-love. Introducing a certain of softness, they look to capture the nuance of reality through engagement with colour, texture, and mundane gesture, to affront stereotype and expectancy.
Every few pages certain snippets of ‘love texts’ that Ashleigh has received from her clients are shown, plainly highlighting their desire for her, alongside self-indulgent images which celebrate her love and acceptance for herself.
Where women are often condemned to certain boxes for their choices, the series aims to honour feminine freedom whilst capturing the image of a woman from within the comforts of her own personal bounds, alongside the constant contrast of external idealism.
